October 7, 2004

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  Believe

  
  
  

  Funny how simple words from those who are so young can mean so much.  I was as usual trying to multitask (as in talk on the phone, trouble shoot for a client on their computer and get dressed so I can go to the gym, when I heard that knock on yahoo, now those who know me, know I am mostly always online but usually I am on the other computer, so I tend to go on invisible as that is the only way to get any work done!

  
  

  I turn around and right before me was a window with a cute little panda as the picture profile.  I could not for the life of me remember the name of the person who talked to me, so the conversation ensued;

  
  

  ? : I missed you
  Zeliah : Who is this pls?
  ? : It's me, don't you remember?
  Zeliah : Sorry, uhhm No.
  ? : It's ok. I remember you still
  Zeliah : Is this....., .....

  
  

  and after what seemed like endless questions from me, still I could not figure out who it was.  I was starting to think that it was a stalker but then this person was not weird nor strange.  In fact kindness was what I felt with their every word.

  
  

  Kristine : It's me Kristine (sorry <different name used, privacy issue)
  Zeliah : Kristineeeeeeeeeeeeeee whooaaa its been a long time huh.  I missed you too

  
  

  After another hour or so  catching up, Kristine told me something that still has me thinking up to this moment.  Kristine is only 19.  I met her way back when I used to teacher in an IT school in London.  She was one of my most quietest student, and because she worked so hard, she was certainly one of the best in that class.  I admired her spirit so much and even on weekends she would travel the 2 hours from her house to come and see me so she can learn something that was not included in her class,  she was like a little prodigy, and I saw the love for computers that I had when I was young (uhuh I'm a geek and no I won't deny it ). As time passed she became like a little sister to me, she shared a passion for computers that I could relate to, so I taught her as much as I could whenever we saw each other, and if I was honest she had become my favorite in that class.  I would secretly smile as the Principal would praise her and as she looked at me I would feel so proud of her.  

  
  

  One day as I was on a private IT training with one of our clients, the boss took me aside and asked me whether I would like to work for him, and after debating with myself I took the other job, it was closer to home ( as in less than the 2 1/2 hours I was travelling to the school).  Cut a long story short it was a really good offer to turn down, still with a heavy heart I told our Principal I was leaving at the end of that term.  I had the task of telling all my students too, and on my last day it was really wonderful to receive the cards and the letters, but what touched my heart more than anything was little Kristine coming up to me at the age of 16 (honorably young for this type of certification ) with her  MOUS EXPERT certification (for those not in IT, a certification is the proof of how good you really are in IT, it means a lot to those of us who value our and strive to polish our skills).  I never even knew she was planning on getting that certification, but the fact that she did proved to me she was putting her heart and soul into every weekend of those two years that she spent with me.  All she said was...  "I wanted to say Thank you" and she handed me a copy of her certificate with a note to say "You believed in me, Thank you!"  I remembered hugging her and then I made my way to a job that was financially rewarding but nowhere as challenging and fulfilling as being a teacher. 

  
  

  We stayed in touch for 2 years and then it started to fade as we both became busy.  So today when I got the chance to talk to her.  I told her about what was happening in my life, as in as much detail as I could, then I asked her to fill me in about everything that I missed out on and to my suprise she did.  Kristine is doing her degree in (uhuh!) Business Computing (yep same degree that I took).  Reading about her life cheered me up so much that I felt ecstatic.  In the middle of us joking with each other she said I never got the chance to tell you before you left.  Tell me what? She started to tell me that she was living with her aunt and uncle when she was studying at the school and since she was almost an adult under the law, they threw her out the week before I left.  (3 days before she took her exams for that certification!!) I know what its like to be homeless, and its no picnic.  "I wish you could have told me". to which she answered "I never thought of telling you, because I felt strong enough to deal with it" and then she said what I never expected her to say.

  
  

  "You believed in me so much, that I began to believe in myself too.  I knew I could do anything because you always said I could."

  
  

  That alone made an impact in me, but then she continued to say "You should believe more in yourself.  I believe in you".  I have met very wise men and women, even young men and women here in xanga and in my life and it amazes me how their words can stick in my mind like superglue.  I say it then and I repeat it now. 

  
  

  AGE is no BARRIER to KNOWLEDGE, for KNOWLEDGE knows no BOUNDS.

  
  

  Kristine, thank you for reminding me, for days now I've been lost, slowly finding my way through the dark, and here you came to shine your light on me.

  
  

  So as Kristine says  Believe in yourself.  It doesn't need to be anymore complicated than that for faith needs no explanation, it is one of the most powerful emotion in the world.  Take the time to encourage others to believe in themselves.  You would be suprise how a kind word is never forgotten.  Touching other peoples lives is not an art, it is the very fabric of our being.  Take the time to talk to someone, you might be suprised at how fulfilling it can be. Believe that you can achieve anything and you can do anything that you put your mind into.  Believe that you are unique in the most special way.  Capable of more than words, and stronger than any action.  Believe that in life miracles happen, and you can see them clearer when you have faith. I believe in YOU!

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